Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale is a 6% blonde ale from Hansharo Beer, based in Shizuoka, Japan. It’s part of their late summer / autumn seasonal lineup which can be found in both bottle and on tap. It’s brewed with Vic Secret hops produced in Australia and first released to brewers in 2011. At the time of writing, it’s unknown whether Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale is a one-off beer or an annual release. Let’s hope it’s the second.
What is Vic’s secret and what is she going to tell us?
Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale Aroma and Taste
Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale poured out at hazy orange / brown colour with minimal amount of bubbly white head. The head you see in the picture above lasted less than a minute before disappearing to a few bubbles around the edge, and then went completely. There was no lacing to he beer, so I couldn’t count how many sips / gulps I had. There was a distinct peachy and passionfruit aroma to the beer, with a minimal amount of malt nose coming through. Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale also had a slight edge of lemony sourness along with some earthiness when it had warmed up.
The body was thinner than I expected it to be, with peach and honey-like qualities to it. The malt base was more pronounced in the body, with some caramel coming through. The passionfruit noticed in the nose was also present in the body and after a little bit of research, Vic Secret is primarily used in dry-hopping for exactly that flavour. Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale finished off dry and crisp with a sticky edge to the subtle residual sourness.
Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale The Bottom Line
Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale is a well-balanced, and modern, blonde ale that would be perfect on a hot summer’s day. Hope to see it next year.
Where to Buy Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale
Hansharo Natsu Da! Yama Da! Blonde Ale can be bought online at the following places:
